McCann Launches Campaign Encouraging Urban Sanitation in India

McCann in India has created “Asli Tarraki” (Real Development), a campaign promoting the use of toilets. The campaign supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Swachch Bharat (Clean India), an initiative created to help ensure hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation. McCann’s new campaign connects the idea of hygiene to real progress and eliminating open defecation.

Nearly 8 million households in more than 4,000 towns in India do not have access to toilets and defecate in the open. The Indian government launched its Swachch Bharat Mission (SBM) two years ago, which helped encourage household toilet building, leading to the construction of over 2.2 million individual toilets, with a target 6.6 million by 2019. The new “Asli Tarraki” campaign from McCann is the first ever communication to drive this initiative at a pan-India level.

Toilet usage is a very low priority for many living in poor areas and migrant workers struggling to navigate through city life in India. By habit, cost and lack of knowledge, it is widely acceptable to defecate in the open. Even in cases where toilets are constructed, the usage gradually picks up for the first six months and drops drastically as the toilets get older.

The campaign from McCann is woven around the concept of children having emerged as significant influences in the behavior of their parents and also associates the idea of cleanliness with progress. The campaign’s tagline is: "Shauchalaya ki adat pakki, wahi asli tarakki," (The habit of using a toilet marks real progress).

The campaign features stories that are relatable and use a humorous approach to an otherwise awkward subject. In addition to TV, the effort is being supported by outdoor, print and radio. McCann has worked on other campaigns related to sanitation including work for RB on BSI (Banega Swachch India) and its Dettol work to promote hand washing. “Asli Tarraki” was created with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the Ministry of Urban development. View the spots at the links below.